An Excellent Musical Semester In Austria Past Review
By A student (DePauw University) - abroad from 01/10/2017 to 05/12/2017 with
IES Abroad: Vienna - Study Abroad With IES Abroad
I gained confidence in my foreign language skills and my travel skills. I also grew immensely as a musician. It was absolutely worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Excellently located, nice apartments |
| * Food: |
No food provided by study abroad program; walking to grocery stores, finding the right foods, and carrying it back home took a while to get used to; nice kebab shop next to IES center, many lovely restaurants in Vienna |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Vienna felt very safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I really appreciated the freedom IES gave me in terms of not-too-intense coursework that I could still learn a lot from. It gave me a lot of time to explore the city and travel, attend concerts, and think about life! |
Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $30 if I didn't eat out or go out |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Go to Hofer to buy cheaper staples |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
IES Vienna is very friendly for people with no prior German experience, but it also offers language buddy and homestay opportunities for those with more German experience |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | One semester of German |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Insist on speaking German outside of IES, even if other people switch immediately to English. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Grocery shopping involves a lot of walking |
